French police in hunt for UK man

French police said the couple were 'clearly wealthy'

French police are hunting a British businessman after his girlfriend was found beaten to death in a bath at a prestigious Parisian hotel.

The woman, said to be aged 36, was discovered by a cleaner at the Hotel Bristol, a short walk from the Elysee Palace and the British embassy.

Police said she checked in alone on Monday night, but her boyfriend checked into the same hotel hours later.

Her body was found on Tuesday evening, by which time her boyfriend had gone.

A police spokesman refused to name either the man or the dead woman, who is believed to be Polish but based in the UK.

'Clearly wealthy'

He added: "We know that the woman arrived on her own and we understand that there had been some problems in her relationship. She obviously had plenty of money to stay at the Bristol.

"Then her boyfriend turned up and checked in. We do not know what happened after that, until the woman's body was found in the bath by one of the hotel cleaners.

"The man had arrived in a Porsche, according to the hotel staff, and he and the car disappeared before the alarm was raised.

"This couple were clearly wealthy. We are still trying to piece together the sequence of events leading up to their arrival separately at the Bristol Hotel."

The spokesman said a nationwide search was underway and police were checking "ports and airports and the roads".